Tariffs on China "retaliatory" for "unprecedented" fentanyl distribution in last four years: US Press Secretary

Washington DC [US], February 5 (ANI): US Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Tuesday spoke about several issues, including the tariffs imposed by the United States (US) on China and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to the US.

Speaking about the tariffs on China and whether US President Trump would speak to Chinese President Xi Jinping, Karoline Leavitt said, "I don't have any updates on when that call will take place," adding that the call is being scheduled and would "happen very soon."

"The President made it very clear with the 10 per cent tariff on China that he is not going to allow China to continue to source and distribute deadly fentanyl into our country. That was the reason for this tariff. It was a retaliatory tariff on China for the last four years of their unprecedented distribution of fentanyl to our nation's border," Leavitt added.

On Tuesday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau outlined measures in the country's "Canada's Border Plan" aimed at tackling the fentanyl trade.

He said that the plan will involve deploying "thousands more frontline personnel to the border" and launching a precursor chemical detection unit. Additionally, a new drug profiling centre will be established to combat the fentanyl trade.

Trudeau's announcement comes a day after a statement by US President Donald Trump, in which he said Canada would implement a USD 1.3 billion border plan aimed at stopping the flow of fentanyl into the United States. In return, Trump said he would pause tariffs on Canadian goods for 30 days following the implementation of the plan.

Speaking about Netanyahu's US visit, she said, "The fact that this is the first working visit from a foreign leader here at the White House, shows that President Trump will continue to stand strongly with Israel and he has wholeheartedly committed to ensuring all of the hostages return home and standing with our Israeli allies."

Earlier on Sunday, the Israeli PM's Office shared his statement ahead of the arrival in the US.

"In this meeting, we'll deal with important issues, critical issues facing Israel and our region: victory over Hamas, achieving the release of all our hostages and dealing with the Iranian terror axis in all its components--an axis that threatens the peace of Israel, the Middle East and the entire world," the Prime Minister's Office said, quoting the Israeli PM.

The decisions we made in the war have already changed the face of the Middle East. Our decisions and the courage of our soldiers have redrawn the map. But I believe that working closely with President Trump, we can redraw it even further and for the better," the statement added. (ANI)

(The story has come from a syndicated feed and has not been edited by the Tribune Staff.)